Loop-forming mechanism for knitting machines



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E. DESACHY LOOP FORMING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Nov. 5, 1920' Fig. 5.

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E. DESACHY LOOP FORMING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Noy. 5,1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F barren sr Patented Sept. 4, i923.

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PAT

ERNEST DESACHY, F LOOS-LES-LILLE, FRANCE.

LOOP-FORMING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed November 5,-1920. Serial No. 421,892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enmzs'r DESACHY, a citizen of the Republic ofFrance, and res ident of Loos-les-Lille, Nord, France, have invented newand useful Improvements in Loop-Forming Mechanism for Knitting leftblade;

Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to knitting machines and has for itsobject an improvement which allows the production of a very elasticfabric, very closely imitating hand work both in its sup'pleness and inthe variety ofdesigns which can be obtained.

The invention consistsin substituting for the ordinary self-actingneedles of one of the beds, loop formers each consisting of a rod havinga heel or butt and terminating in two flexible blades adapted to beseparated more or less from one another, their shape varying accordingto the nature of the work.

7 The use of these loop formers requires for their operation as well asfor that of the self-acting needles of the other bed,

special cam sets which permit of varying at will the work executed andof utilizing the jacquard system for obtaining the most varied designs.

In the drawings, which show, by way of example, an improved constructionaccording to the invention,.--

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one loop former;

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 1 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a loop former with a straight right hand bladeand an incurved left hand blade;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of-a loop former with an incurved right blade andstraight Fi 2 is a plan view of a loop former in which the symmetricalblades are slightly incurved;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan View of the two needle beds of'theknitting machine, one of which is provided with self-acting needles andthe other with loop formers having symmetrical blades, the figure alsoincluding a plan view of the cam sets to control the working of theneedles and loop formers. 7

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a presser wheel device;

Fig. 5 isan end elevation of said device;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a weft-guide device, while Fig. 7 is an endelevation of the same;

Figs. 8 to 16 show front and side elevations of the respective positionsof the selfacting needles and loop formers.

Each loopeformer comprises a bar a provided with a heel or butt b and afoot 0. Upon thisbar are secured two blades d each consisting of aflexible leaf, of which one end e forms a spring to maintain the loopformer in a slot in the bed and of which the other end f is incurved andreduced, in width for a certain length so as to form with the end of theother blade, a beak or point intended to support a' loop of the.knitting. The difference in width between the body of the blade d andits extremity f 7 forms a notch 9 against which the loop taken on by theloop former abuts.

The opening of the eye 'formed by the blades of each loop former is ingeneral such that two ordinary self-acting needles can pass into thiseye. In the withdrawal movement of the loop former the tips of theblades are separated (see dotted line position of the blades in Fig. 1)upon which has been laid the loop previously carried by the blades.

. The cams intended for the operation of the ordinary self-actingneedles and the blade-fitted loop formers are represented in Fig. 3. Arepresents the cam set for the ordinary self-acting needles, while Bis'the cam set for the blade-fitted loop formers. The cam sets A andBhaving a rectilinear reciprocating movement, must be symmetric'al so asto give the needles and loop formers the same movement whatever be theirdirection of displacement.

A cam set A has at its lower part two fixed cams h, h and atthe upperpart three fixed cams z, i, i, the central cam i being adjustablevertically. Between these two sets of cams are two cams j, y" pivoted atIn in such a way that when the cam sets move from right to left thebutts of the needles pass under the cam jand tilt the cam 1" about itsaxis 7c. so as to pass over the said cam y" as indicated by the dot anddash line Z which represents the center lines of the butts. If the cam'set is moving from left to right, the butts will pass under the cam y"and will tilt the cam 7'.

The cam set B has at the up er part, four fixed'cams m, m, m, m at thelower part two fixed cams n, n and between these two series two cams o,0' pivoted at p in such a way that when the cam set is moving from rightto left the butts of the loop formers tilt the cam o and follow astraight path (the dot and dash line indicating the center line of thebutts) and pass over the cam 0'. In the movement of the cam set fromleft to right, the cam 0' will tilt so that the butts of the loopformers pass under it, following a straight path, and the cam 0 will bebelow it so that the butts of the loop former pass over it. At the endof each cam 'n, n is'mounted a cam q, g which can, when desired, projectabove the plane of the lock so as to make the butt of the loop formersfollow the path indicated by the line 9 These cams q, q are intended foruse when the machine functions with the jacquard system. These cams havefor their object the complete withdrawal of the butts of the loop formerfrom the action of the cam set B, which then engages only those raisedby the jacquard system with the desired combinations.

In order that the loop taken up by the tips of the blades may abutagainst the notches 9', there is mounted u n the slidecarriage a presserwheel (Figs. 4 and '5) which bears against the loop. This presserconsists of a steel roller r movable around an axis 1* screwed upon aclip 8 adjustable in height in relation to the supporting bracket asecured upon the slide driving the cam set A.

In case it-is desired to perform knitting work in the loops of which isinserted a weft thread. the presser wheel is replaced by a weft guide(Figs. 6 and 7), which has for its object the pressing of the web andthe loop against the notches g and the laying of the weft yarn betweenthe blades and the self-acting needles. This guide is composed of ablade t provided with a channel it into which the weft yarn it passes.The blade t is adjustable in height in relation to the supportin bracketwhich is secured upon the s ide driving the cam set A in place of thebracket 8' for the presser wheel in the previous arrangement. I

The operation of the knitting machine with one bed filled with ordinaryneedles and the other with blade-fitted loop formers is as follows: Ifit is supposed that the cam sets move from'right to left in thedirection of the arrow at (Fig. 3), the blades of the loop formers andthe self-acting needles occupying the relative "positions shown in Fig.8, the cam 'n of the cam set B lifts the blades (Fig. 9), and theselfacting needles remain motionless. The rising movement of the bladestakes place about,v ten millimeters before the cam it acts upon theneedles, in order to prevent the loop ris g aga n at th m ment when thmenace cam set A displaces the needles. Under the action of the cam hthe needles rise and occupy, with respect. to the loop formers, theposition represented in Fig. 9. During this movement the loop formersprevent the knitting from joining in the risingv movement of theneedles. The needles, under the action of cam 7', rise and their latchesopen in such a we that these needles are able, as in the ordinarymachines, to take the thread which the yarn guide brings to them (Fig.10). The withdrawal of the needles is obtained bymeans of cam z" and theneedles close themselves at the same time. Since the loop formers havenot moved during this movement of the needles, because the cam m isrectilinear, the thread remains cam h (Fig. 12) and remain in thisraised position during the beginning of the rising of the loop formersunder the action of cam 0' in order to prevent the loops resting in thenoses of the loop formers from following the rising movement of the loopformers. The needles then come down again under the action of cam 7"(Fig. 13) while the loop formers continue their rising movement untilthe loops have passed the head of the needles. and the loops have beenpushed to the bottom of the notches g by means of the presser wheel. Itis only during this last part ofthe movement of the loop formers thatthe loops left in the noses of the loop formers are enlarged, as can beseen in Figs. 12 and 13.

While the loop formers remain in theirelevated position for some time,the cam 72. raises the needles again in pairs or singly (according tothe arrangement adopted for the needles) between the blades of the loopformers (Fig. 14); and the needles pass j, j'and o, 0' tilt in theopposite directions to those in the preceding movement, so that thesuccession of the movements enumerated above is reproduced in the sameorder.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the detailsof construction which have been described. For examplethe loop formers.can be constructed with blades adapted-to take one, two or even moreneedles between them, the'machine can be made to work with suppressionof the needles or of the loop formers at will, widening may be efiectedat each stitch or at any desired interval according to the desig n andthe work to be done, a jacquard system may be applied to the machine,etc.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and in whatmanner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is+ 1.In a knitting machine a loop former with two flexible blades forming apoint upon which an enlarged loop is formed and an eye into which therecan penetrate one or more needles, the latter in the withdrawal movementof the loop former separating the blades and remaining motionless whilethe blades descend leaving the. loop in the hook of. the self-actingneedles.

2. In a knitting machine, two needle beds, the needles of one bedcomprising loop formers with two flexible blades, the flexible blades ofeach of said loop formers forming a point upon which a loop is formedand an eye adapted to receive one or more needles of the other bed, andto be spread by the latter on the withdrawal movement of the flexiblebladed loop former, for the purposes set forth. 1

3. ,In a knitting machine, two needle beds, in combination with a camset for one of said needle beds comprising for each direction of workinga stationary cam producing the lift of the needles of one bed slightlbefore the lift of the needles of the second bed'an'd maintaining theformer substantially stationary during the formation of the stitch bythe needles of the second bed and a fresh lift of the latter, a pivotingcam pro ducing a fresh lift of the needles of the first bed at themoment when the 'needles of the second bed rise for the second time inorder I bringing back to engage the needles of the first bed, and astationary cam effecting the withdrawal of the latter.

4. In a knitting machine, two needle beds, in combination with a cam setfor one of said needle beds comprising for each direction of Working astationarycam producing the lift of the needles of one bed slightlybefore the lift of the needles of the second bed and maintaining theformer during the formationof the stitch by the needles of the secondbed and a fresh lift of the latter, a pivoting cam producing a freshlift of the needles of the first bed at the moment when the needles ofthe second bed rise for the second time in order to engage the needlesof the first bed, a stationary cam effecting the Withdrawal of thelatter, together with a cam to adapt the machine to use a jacquardsystem. 5. In a knitting machine, two needle beds, in combination with acam set for one of said needle beds comprising for each direction ofworking a stationary cam, a movable cam producing the lift of theneedles of one bed, the pivoting of the latches of the needles of saidbed and the engagement of the yarn laid upon the needles of the otherbed; a stationary cam, adjustable vertically, producing the withdrawalof the needles of the first bed and the completion of a stitch; astationary cam producing again the opening of the latches and theprojection of the needles of the first bed within the blades of theneedles of. the second bed placed in front of the same; and anotherstationary cam the needles of the first bed which convey the loopcarried by the blades of the needles of the second.

ERNEST DESACHY.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM LEES,

GERMAINE Simona.

